Endless Mountains Intrigue
by Beth - Geek Chick
Summary: AU - Henry Wilcox, publisher of Wilpower magazine, invites his senior staff to a week-long think tank retreat. Covert Affairs cast stars in this Alternate Universe mystery/romance.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N Hey, everyone! I did a cull and delete and reorganization of all my fanfic files on my computer and came across a couple of things. One was a fic I'd started and abandoned in March called Endless Mountains Intrigue, and the other was an AU story I may work on in the future.**

**I forgot why I had to give up EMI, but as I never delete or throw away anything story related, all my notes were still there. I could have sworn I'd written more, but three chapters were written and the rest was summary'd out.**

**So, ladies and gents, I give you my mystery/romance AU venture featuring the Covert Affairs cast entitled "Endless Mountains Intrigue." I hate leaving anything unfinished and feel compelled to write this one to fruition.**

* * *

><p><strong>CAST<strong>

_Annie Walker_

Hotshot new features writer for Willpower magazine. Headhunted from Time magazine. Vivacious and beautiful, Annie's been burned in past and is hesitant to start new relationships. Devotes all time now to work and career.

_August "Auggie" Anderson_

Tech writer for Willpower magazine. Blinded by motorcycle accident several years ago, Auggie splits time between writing about new technology and developing it himself, with concentration now on accessibility for disabled.

_Jai Wilcox_

Travel writer for Willpower magazine. Exotic and charming, Jai has lived in nearly every large city in the world. Some say he was born with silver spoon in his mouth, but Jai still strives to prove himself even though he technically works for his father.

_Henry Wilcox_

Founder of Wilcox Publishing and CEO of Willpower magazine. Though he was more of a figurehead now, Henry still ran things from his top office in the Wilcox building.

_Joan and Arthur Campbell_

Executive Editor and Editor-in-Chief of Willpower magazine, respectively. Run magazine in lieu of Henry's presence. Similar duties have them butting heads quite often, though they are completely devoted to each other and the success of Willpower magazine.

_Stu Heatherton_

Assistant to August Anderson. Hired after Auggie's motorcycle accident, initial duties were to acclimate office to Auggie's needs. Now assists him in development of disabled accessible technology.

_Ben Mercer_

Annie Walker's ex-fiance. Left her week before wedding three years ago with no word or reason.

_Danielle Brooks_

Owner of Brooks House retreat. Specializes in corporate getaways.

_Vincent Rossabi_

Local police chief.

* * *

><p>From: Henry Wilcox<p>

To: [ names withheld ]

Date: May 1, 2011

Subject: Mandatory retreat

Your presence is requested June 2nd through June 9th at Brooks House for a mandatory think tank week. Details attached.

* * *

><p>New message dings began sounding at specific desks around the high rise offices of "Wilpower" magazine moments after Henry Wilcox hit the send button. The idea for the think tank week was one of his more brilliant, if he said so himself. "Wilpower" magazine, his baby, his flagship publication, was in desperate need of some new ideas, some new blood. Its quarterly numbers still ranked it number one, but they had slipped just a little, and he couldn't have that.<p>

He could just bring the usual gang into his conference room and ask them to think "out of the box," but nothing ever came out of those meetings but finger-pointing and back-stabbing.

The magazine was only one tentacle in his publishing company, but unlike the others, he doubted if it would grow back just as well if it failed. Newspapers came and went, merged and folded easily. His holdings in book publishing fed itself and provided capital for his other publications if they were failing for a quarter or two. Especially now that e-books had become so popular. They scoffed at his idea when he introduced the concept a decade ago, but nobody was laughing now, were they?

He made sure he kept the hardback and paperback sides going, as well, because, as he knew well, the public were greedy. They never just stopped using one medium in favor of another. They wanted it all, and he made sure he was there to give it to him.

* * *

><p><em>Brooks House<em>

_Getaway accommodations in the rolling Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania. Specializing in corporate retreats._

_Conference rooms available in main building._

_Individual and couples cabins._

_All amenities including in-cabin wi-fi available._

_Pristine private lake for swimming and boating._

_Well-kept hiking trails._

_ADA compliant._

Auggie Anderson chuckled to himself as his assistant, Stu Heatherton, read the last line of the e-mail they had both received. He'd been elbow deep in his latest project when Stu had came into his office and asked if he'd received the same e-mail from the head honcho. Auggie had tilted his head in the man's direction and told him he'd been bent over his latest contraption for the past hour, so no, he hadn't gotten around to reading his e-mail.

Stu then quickly pulled it up on Auggie's computer and read it to him, including the details of the "Brooks House" retreat destination.

"Beginning of June?" Auggie asked, rounding his work table to his desk. "That's only a month from now. Does he give a reason for this? That falls smack in the middle of our special Tech issue."

"Read it yourself," Stu said, getting up from his boss' desk. "Henry Wilcox is a man of few words. He even had the list of recipients hidden, so I don't know who else received it."

"But you got one, and I got one, so that's two people we know of," Auggie said, fingers flying over his Braille monitor reader as he read the same words Stu had spoken to him moments before. "Mandatory, huh? Big word from the big boss. Well, the attachment says there's wi-fi available in the cabins, so we could probably get what work we need to get done while we're there."

"Ever have to go on these things before?" Stu asked.

"Nope, and I've been working for 'Wilpower' for eight years now. Guess Wilcox read something online about these corporate retreats and thought, hey, I can do that," Auggie said with a mirthless laugh.

"You don't like him too much, do you?" Stu asked.

"Don't know him all that well, but I do know his son, Jai. And you know how the old saying goes, like father, like son."

"Ahh, yes, Jai Wilcox. Saw him in the hall this morning. Guess he's back from his most recent trip," Stu commented.

"Back from spending the company's money to go on his monthly vacations, huh?"

"He's a travel writer, Auggie. Doesn't that require travel?"

Auggie scoffed, "The cities he travels to? He's already been there. Heck, he's lived everywhere in the world. He could do his job sitting behind a desk."

Stu sighed, knowing he'd never get anywhere in an argument with Auggie. The man was just too knowledgable about anything and everything that had to do with "Wilpower" magazine.

"Want me to scope around, see who else got the e-mail?"

"And incur the wrath of Wilcox? Nah, don't worry about it. We'll find out when we get up there. But, it's still a month away, and we've got a lot of work to do until then," Auggie said, standing up from his desk to return to his work desk.


	2. Chapter 2

Auggie stepped out of the passenger seat of Stu's car, stretching his muscles in the warm early morning heat. If it weren't for the fact that they were getting paid for the entire time they were out on this so-called think tank retreat, he'd feel a bit more put out than he did now. He usually preferred to spend his Saturday mornings still in bed, preferably not alone.

"Bus is here," Stu commented, popping the trunk to retrieve their suitcases. "Huh, looks kind of high-end."

"What'd ya expect, a Greyhound?" Auggie chuckled, walking back to the rear of the car. Stu placed the handle of his rolling luggage in his hand, and Auggie motioned him to proceed forward through the magazine's parking lot to the waiting bus. "Who all's here?"

"Hmm, since we're right on time, I think everyone's here that could fit on a bus that size, about 20," Stu said quietly.

"Recognize everyone?"

"Just about, seems about one or two people from every department, including the Campbells," Stu said, referring to the married chief editors of the magazine. He stopped walking at the edge of the loosely gathered group, tapping his hand against Auggie's shoulder.

Pulling his luggage up beside him, Auggie leaned on his cane and listened. Stu was right, he thought. From what he could hear of the muffled conversations, most of the voices he heard were familiar ones. It seemed as though ol' Henry Wilcox decided to bring the monthly general meeting outside. He heard the voices start to move away and surmised that the boarding had started. Stu touched his sleeve, and he started walking again, following his assistant.

"Hold up a minute, Aug. We have to stow our luggage in the undercarriage," Stu said, taking Auggie's suitcase out of his hand.

Waiting for Stu to return, Auggie suddenly became aware of heels clicking up behind him quickly. As they came nearer, he turned his head to the sound and caught on the breeze a whiff of perfume. Buzzing through his mental inventory of women's fragrances, he took the latecomer's choice of scent to be an unusual one, Jo Malone Grapefruit.

Intrigued, his head turned as she walked around him and spoke.

"Sorry I'm late. Here's my suitcase."

Delightfully feminine and perfectly matched to the fragrance, the voice was light and held a hint of laughter. Her heels clicked away, and Auggie reached his hand out to Stu.

"Stu," he said, keeping his voice low in case she was still in hearing distance. "That woman that just arrived, who is she?"

"Don't know," Stu said. "Come on, we've gotta board."

"What's she look like, then?" Auggie whispered as Stu led him up the stairs.

"Blonde, caucasian, big smile," Stu recited.

Auggie groaned at the man's clinical assessment. "Come on, Stu, throw me a bone here."

"She's gorgeous, Aug. Six rows back, left hand side. She took the window, so the aisle seat's free," Stu said, pulling out of Auggie's grip and dropping down in one of the front seats. Since his boss would now be occupied during the ride, he pulled out his iPod and stuffed the buds in his ears.

Auggie patted Stu on the shoulder and adjusted his messenger bag across his denim jacket-covered back. Keeping his cane out in front, he swept it side to side, counting the seats back to the sixth row. He hadn't really needed Stu's direction, as he could tell from her scent – as subtle as it was – where she was sitting.

"Excuse me, is this seat taken?" he asked, putting his friendliest and most genuine smile on his face.

"No, it's not."

The same sweet voice. Aug pulled his bag over his head and shoulder and sat down on the surprisingly comfortable and padded chair. He tucked his bag down between his feet. He'd brought several time-consuming devices for the trip, but as he felt his seatmate shift beside him, he might not need them at all.

"Auggie Anderson," he said, turning to his mystery woman, his left hand offered out. He felt hers clasp into his after a moment and took note of soft skin, a strong grip, and more importantly, every finger was devoid of a ring. "And you are?"

"Annie. Annie Walker."

* * *

><p>Nearly breathless by the time she'd made it to the bus, Annie Walker had snagged a window seat near the back and gratefully sank into its depths, tucking her skirt beneath her legs. She'd only worked at "Wilpower" magazine for two weeks, and she couldn't quite believe it when she'd overslept this morning. Way to make an impression, she thought to herself as she looked out the window at the driver loading the suitcases into the underneath hold.<p>

She only knew a couple of the people on board, namely the editors who'd hired her away from "Time" magazine. At their meeting Friday afternoon, they'd mentioned this week-long retreat and invited her along. Annie had been to getaway places like this in the past, but only to write about them or their owners, or hunting down an interesting story. Never before had she gone to one as a guest. A quick night of packing and planning ended late as she tied up enough loose ends to allow a week away from home.

"Excuse me, is this seat taken?"

Annie tore her eyes away from the window to the man standing in the aisle next to her. His smile was wide and friendly, and Annie's quick eyes took note of the white cane and unfocused eyes that were at the moment trained somewhere over her head. She hadn't met him yet, but assumed he worked for the magazine, too.

"No, it's not," she said, reaching over to pluck the magazine she'd dropped on the seat out of the way. As he sat next to her, she looked over the rest of him with an appreciative eye. Wavy brown hair that curled over his ears and along his collar. His sightless eyes matched, chocolate brown and warm. Angular features, definitely cute in her book. Guess this bus trip wasn't going to be as long as she thought.

"Auggie Anderson."

Annie pulled her eyes away from her perusal of his handsome features down to the hand which he held out between them. She placed her own in it, inwardly jerking a bit as its warmth and energy traveled through her fingers and up her arm. Wow, she thought. It'd been a while since she was this instantly attracted to a person. The last time it'd happened wasn't something she liked to think about, and she quickly pushed that memory away.

"And you are?"

Annie looked back up to his face, caught for a second mesmerized by his eyes. The way they looked perfectly normal, yet didn't seem to focus on anything pulled her in, and she had to take a moment to remember her own name.

"Annie. Annie Walker," she said, hoping her new acquaintance didn't notice her breathy reply. Then again, as his smile widened and his fingers just slightly caressed hers in his grasp, maybe she did hope he noticed.

"Good to meet you, Annie," Auggie said, allowing his fingers one more slight caress of her palm before letting go of her hand. If Stu's initial summation of her looks was correct, he pictured in his mind a blonde young woman with skin she obviously pampered, and given the way her clothes sounded as she shifted in her seat, she wore a loose, cotton skirt and top.

"Likewise," he heard her say, noting the lilt in her voice. He could usually tell by the first few replies he received from a woman whether or not she was interested in him, mostly by how she spoke, though, not by what she said. Given the breathy, hesitant tone of the few words he'd heard, she liked what she saw. Also, she didn't seem to mind his too-long-for-propriety introductory handshake. Time for phase two. He opened his mouth to ask her what she did for the magazine when she beat him to it.

"Do you work for the magazine, too, Auggie?"

"Yes, for about eight years now. Tech writer."

"Oh, of course, I've seen your articles. I'm a fan, actually."

Auggie's eyebrows went up at this. He didn't take his new acquaintance as a lover of technology, but it seemed, to his astonishment, she had more depth to her beauty. "I'm humbled, thank you. Are you a writer, as well, or –"

"Oh, yes, though I doubt if you've read anything of mine," Annie said. "I've only been at "Wilpower" for a couple of weeks now. My first feature will be printed in the next issue, hopefully."

"I'm sure it will," Auggie said, smiling over at her. So that's it, she's the newbie. He'd heard rumblings about someone coming to them from "Time" magazine. A hotshot features writer whose works had earned a few awards.

Annie felt a slight blush in her face at his words and couldn't believe it. She hadn't blushed since she was in college. She took a deep breath to steady herself and willed the color out of her cheeks.

"Have you ever been to the Poconos, Auggie?" she asked, hoping the change of topic would alleviate her nerves.

"A few times," he replied. "Used to take motorcycle trips pretty often. Nothing like zooming down little known roads on the back of a Harley."

"Motorcycle trips?" Annie asked, perplexed. "How –" Quickly shutting her mouth before the rest of her inappropriate question came out, Annie thought quickly how to cover up her gaffe.

"How does a blind guy ride a motorcycle?" Auggie asked gently.

"Umm, yeah, didn't mean to make it sound like that, though," Annie said.

"Perfectly legit question. Lost my sight three years ago, on a motorcycle, no less. Got rear-ended and flew over the handlebars. Helmet took the worst of it, but the jarring knocked me out, and when I woke up –" Auggie waved his hand in front of his face. "Nothing."

Annie nodded, then smiled. "You've managed well enough, though."

"What do you mean?"

"You're still one of the best writers in your field, and from what I've read in 'Wilpower,' you've also branched into creating your own technology for disabled accessibility," Annie said frankly.

Auggie smiled and dropped his head down a bit at her compliment. "What else could I do?"

"And," Annie said, leaning toward him and lowering her voice, "you haven't let it stop you from hitting on the girls."

A bubble of laughter escaped Auggie, and he shook his head. "Who says I'm hitting on you?"

"I do," Annie said simply. "Unless, of course, it's part of your job to make the new hires feel welcome."

"Is it working?" Auggie asked.

"Ask me again, when we've gotten to Brooks House," Annie said, settling back in her seat. "We've got a few hours of travel for you to convince me."


	3. Chapter 3

Auggie's lips twisted into a smirk. Did she just challenge him? Yeah, I think she did, he thought. Huh. And to think he'd just yesterday been thinking of a way to beg out of the trip. He had legitimate reasons, namely a special issue coming out that doubled the number of words he needed to put together for content. Plus, he and Stu were elbow deep – figuratively – in a new iPhone app he was creating for the blind. He'd wanted to get it done before the tech issue came out, as it was the main story.

So he'd made Stu load all their research and work on his laptop, and promised himself he'd use this think tank weekend to get done with a majority of the work needed.

But now, listening to the contented sigh of his new acquaintance, maybe he could wait until they got back to the office to work on it. What was the old saying about all work and no play?

"Have you been riding since your accident, Auggie?" Annie asked, pulling him out of his own thoughts.

"Uhh, no, actually," he answered. It wasn't that he didn't want to, but no one else he knew owned a motorcycle, and his own was damaged beyond repair.

"Mm, too bad. They always say you should immediately 'get back on the horse,' so to speak, but having gone through such an ordeal, I can understand why you wouldn't want to."

Auggie turned toward her, "Who said I didn't want to?"

"Well, you said –"

"I just said I hadn't," Auggie corrected. "Not that I don't want to. Why do you ask?"

"Just so happens that I own a Softail."

Auggie's mouth dropped open at her admission. "You drive a Harley?" he asked.

"Yep, got started in college. Roommate drove one and got me hooked."

Damn, Auggie thought, I think I'm in love. "You wouldn't happen to have brought your bike with you?"

Annie laughed, and Auggie thrilled at the sound. "I don't think it would have fit in the luggage rack."

"Too bad," Auggie said, settling back in his seat and crossing his legs, placing his ankle on his knee. "Would have made my job much easier."

When he didn't elaborate, Annie chuckled and leaning toward him, placed a hand on the sleeve of his denim jacket. "And what job are you referring to?"

"You were offering to give me a ride on your Softail, weren't you?" he asked. "I think I would have had an easier time making you feel more welcome, as you put it, on the back of a Harley."

"So you are hitting on me?" Annie said. "And here I thought you just wanted to be friends."

"There are all types of friends, Annie," Auggie said, patting her hand on his arm. "You've just gotta decide if and when you want to step over that line."

And there it was, that warm energy that traveled through his fingertips as it made contact with her hand. Annie couldn't quite figure out, though, how much of Auggie's spiel was genuine or just harmless flirting. Playing along was fun, and promised to make the bus ride shorter, but did she really want to risk having a true friend, rather than another quick fling?

Before she could think of anything else, the bus doors opened again, and another person alighted. Her eyes were drawn to him, if only for the fact he was wearing a full suit while the rest of the occupants of the bus were in casual clothing.

A well-fitted suit, at that, which contrasted beautifully with his smooth brown skin and dark hair. She watched as he flashed a smile at the bus driver and said something to him about sorry he held them up. Then, as he started to make his way down the aisle, she realized he'd caught her staring.

* * *

><p>"Sorry I held you up, George," Jai Wilcox said, hopping quickly up the bus' metal staircase. "Airplane was delayed, and I just got here. Didn't even have time to change."<p>

Jai smiled at the man, who begrudgingly accepted his apology and reached over to shut the doors again. Well, it was the truth, he thought. He'd hoped to be back in country from his latest trip – this time from London – last night, but heavy fog had delayed his flight, and he had to overtip the cab driver to make sure he got here in time.

Pulling his suitcase along behind him, he started walking down the aisle looking for a free seat when his eyes caught sight of a halo of blonde hair and brown eyes following him. He recognized everyone else on the bus, so who was this vision?

Their eyes met, and Jai smiled as she averted her gaze away from his with a slight blush. Oh, that wouldn't do, he thought, taking a few more steps until he came to her seat.

"Hello, I don't think we've met," he said, reaching a hand out to her. "My name's Jai Wilcox."

"Annie Walker," the blonde beauty said, taking his hand in hers for a soft, yet strong handshake.

"Do you work for the magazine, as well?" he asked, a quick glance taking in her blue summer dress and short sleeved cardigan.

"Yes, I just started two weeks ago," Annie said, noticing the slight movement of his eyes. She could have been offended by his frank perusal of her, but hadn't she just done the same thing?

"Been to the Poconos before? If you need a tour guide, I've visited the area multiple times and written about it," Jai offered while delivering his most dazzling smile. Before Annie could answer, the bus lurched, and Jai stumbled a bit, his shoulder bag swinging. He'd tried grabbing it, but it swung down his arm and hit Auggie square in the elbow.

"Damn it!" Auggie swore, grabbing his left arm. "Jesus, Jai, find a seat already."

"Oh, sorry, Aug. Didn't see you sitting there," Jai smirked, pulling the bag back onto his shoulder.

"Wilcox!"

Jai looked up to see Arthur Campbell motioning to him from the back seat. "Be right there, Arthur. See you later, Annie?"

Annie nodded, and Jai resumed his walk back to the rear of the bus, tucking his suitcase and bag into an empty seat and grabbing a seat beside Joan and Arthur Campbell.

* * *

><p>"Smug bastard," Auggie said beneath his breath, rubbing at his elbow.<p>

"Excuse me?" Annie asked.

"Nothing."

"That's a little rude, don't you think? He didn't do it on purpose," Annie said.

"Maybe not, but it doesn't take away from the fact that he's a smug bastard," Auggie retorted.

"He was just saying hello."

Auggie huffed, "You just met him. I've known him for years."

When she didn't say anything, Auggie frowned. Way to make an impression on her, he thought to himself. He and Jai had never gotten along, even before he lost his sight. Auggie hadn't set out to make an enemy of the man when they'd started at the magazine, but it seemed Jai had taken him as a natural enemy and did everything he could to try to one-up him in everything, from word count in articles to who took home the prettiest girl at the end of the night.

And now it seemed they were both interested in the newest addition to their group, and Auggie'd be damned if he'd let Annie chose Jai over him. So, he thought, time to rebuild the bridge he'd just burned and mend some fences.

"I really wasn't begging you for a ride on your Harley, Annie," he said. "I'd pretty much given up any hope of being able to do so a long time ago."

"You'd have to bring your own helmet," Annie said.

"What makes you think I still have my helmet?" Auggie laughed.

"You drove a Harley, Auggie. If you're as much a lover of it as I am, you wouldn't have given up all hope."

"You're right," Auggie said. "It's packed away, but I couldn't bear the thought of losing it, as well. Bike was trashed, but that helmet saved my life."

"So it's a date. When we get back to the city, you can climb up behind me, and I'll show you what a Harley can really do," Annie said with a squeeze of his arm.

Auggie was momentarily frozen at her words, picturing the scene, to answer right away. He hadn't needed to, though, as she released his arm, and he heard her rifling through her bag.

"Hope you don't mind, but I was planning on doing some writing on the trip over," Annie said, pulling her netbook out of her bag.

"Don't mind at all. What's your new feature about, anyway?"


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N Thanks, everyone, for reading and remembering. And Little Miss Isabelle with her photographic memory of exactly why I gave up in the first place. :) Apparently, I wasn't "feeling" the plot, but so far, so good. Hopefully, you won't remember the summary w/ possible ending I'd written, as well. I'm still thinking about it, and it may change as I write this out. The main points of this story will be A&A romance (of course), and soon I will introduce the "mystery," which will affect everyone, good and bad.**

* * *

><p>"Why don't you crash here on the couch, Aug?" Stu said, leading him through the cabin's threshold and across the carpeted room. "I'll scope out the rest of the place."<p>

"Just make sure it's got two beds," Auggie said, dropping down on the couch. "I mean, I like you and all, but –"

"Ha ha," Stu grunted, dropping his suitcase. Opening the doors that led off the main room, he said, "Okay, seems this is a double, probably made for families or something. The larger bedroom's got a full bed, the other's got bunkbeds. I'll take the smaller one."

"Why?"

"'Cause I don't want to be dragging your ass up off the floor every time you go to get up out of bed and bang your head into the bunk above you," Stu said, grabbing his suitcase and disappearing into the smaller bedroom.

Auggie laughed and stretched his legs out in front of him. Despite their stop around noon for gas and lunch, sitting up for hours at a time seemed to have tightened every muscle in his hamstrings and calves.

He thought back on his trepidation about having to leave the office for this mandated getaway right in the middle of their special Tech issue. That fear and anxiety melted away, though, during the bus trip. He'd met a lot of writers during his tenure at the magazine – a good half of them women – but he'd never been so impressed by one than he was by Annie Walker.

She'd gone over her story idea with him and detailed what she'd done so far and what she was planning on doing for the near future, and he was impressed and more than a little turned on by her enthusiasm and intellect. Which shocked him a bit, because his usual taste in women leaned toward flirty and bubble-headed. His new lot in life left him with little choice but to let women approach him, and he figured, he got what was available.

He was pulled out of his daydream of climbing up behind Annie on a Harley by Stu, who walked back into the main area of the cabin to announce that it was time for them to go to dinner.

Auggie sighed and nodded, pulling himself back off the couch and extending his cane. This "family" cabin was situated nearest the main hall, and Auggie figured with a bit of practice, he could make the walk by himself in a couple of days.

As he counted the steps and swung his cane, he asked Stu, "How close are the cabins? Can you see who our neighbor is?"

"Oh, yeah, guess I should explain the layout of the place. You know the main hall and our cabin. The path we're on now seems to link all of the cabins together, all around the lake, which is just down from us. Stay on the path, and you shouldn't fall in," he said with a smirk.

"Ha ha," Auggie said. "Continue."

"Hold on, let me look. It seems our nearest neighbor is the new chick you met on the bus. Then – okay, the Campbells are coming out of the one next to her. And –"

"Okay, that's enough," Auggie said, and they continued their walk to the main hall. All he needed to know Stu had told him already. Annie's cabin was next to theirs, huh? This week might not be such a washout, after all, he thought.

* * *

><p>Balancing her tray, Annie took a hesitant step into the dining room. Her eyes scanned the groups of people at the array of tables. She'd been one of the last stragglers to make it up for dinner at the main hall, and as such, all of the seats seemed to be taken.<p>

She saw that the Campbells sat at a table by themselves, but she figured it might be construed that she was "kissing up to teacher" if she spent all her time with them. She looked around until she saw the brown, curly head of her busmate, Auggie. He was talking with a good-looking guy whom she hadn't met yet, but the other chair at their table was empty.

"Excuse me, can I sit here? Everywhere else is taken," she said, her hand on the empty chair.

Stu stopped talking and looked up to see the pretty blonde woman Auggie asked him about from the bus. Auggie's head immediately turned at the sound of her voice, and by the look on his face, Stu would probably be sleeping on the deck if he declined.

"Please," he said. When she placed her tray down and took a seat, he said, "We haven't been introduced. I'm Stu Heatherton."

"Annie Walker."

"Good to meet you, Annie. And you already know Aug here, so –"

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," Annie said. "You two were talking."

"Nothing that won't keep," Auggie said, shifting his attention from Stu to Annie.

Annie wasn't sure, given the frown on Stu's face. Though she was glad to find a friend in Auggie – a flirtatious one at that – she wasn't one to alienate everyone else in the process.

She dove into her plate of grilled chicken and vegetables. "So, Stu? I know what Auggie does for 'Wilpower.' What do you do?"

His mouth full of pasta, Stu chewed quickly and swallowed. "I'm his assistant."

Auggie chuckled at Stu's humble assessment of his position at the magazine. "He's the assistant tech editor, in addition to being head of development of our product line."

"Aug, come on," Stu said.

"There's no reason to be so modest. You went to MIT, for crying out loud," Auggie protested.

"MIT? Impressive," Annie said, giving the dark-haired man a smile. He returned it with one of his own, and Annie felt more at ease. She hoped the rest of the staff were as welcoming as these two.

* * *

><p>Jai Wilcox scanned the full dining room with a frown. He'd have made it to the dining room sooner had his father not called him right as he was leaving his cabin. That delightful 15-minute conversation, plus the fact that his cabin was the last one in the row, made him fashionably late. No one seemed to notice him, though, and he was growing a bit perturbed.<p>

He caught sight of Annie, but she was sitting with Anderson and his assistant – what was his name again – and didn't see him. One person did, though, and at the calling of his name, he made his way to the beckoning Arthur Campbell.

No matter, he thought. He'd talked to one of the resort's workers and found the number of Annie's cabin. They'd have plenty of time to get to know one another during the week.

* * *

><p>It wasn't that late at night, only about 9pm, but Annie had already showered and changed into a pair of shorts and a tank top. The early summer was a bit warmer than normal, and the cabins had nothing but ceiling fans and a wall heater. The cabin obviously hadn't been used for a while, and shutting the windows and doors resulted in too much of a stuffy atmosphere.<p>

She decided to leave the front door open to allow the light breeze to air out the place while she sat on the couch and went over the notes she'd made during the bus trip here. Well, she thought with a smile, the notes she was able to make in between talking with Auggie.

She usually wasn't one for overly flirty men, as they normally saw her looks and assumed the worse. But from the moment she met Auggie, she knew that wouldn't be the case. He did come on a bit strong, but Annie wouldn't lie to herself. She liked that in a guy. And he wasn't too bad on the eyes, either, she thought.

With a groan, she sat her notebook to the side. The long bus ride, the rushing, and meeting new people were taking a toll on her, and she knew she wouldn't get anything productive done tonight. She stretched out on the couch, wishing it were a bit more comfortable.

She could hook up her laptop to the place's free wifi, but truly, she didn't feel like working. Her weekends were normally spent out with friends, and she felt at a loss out here on her own. Maybe she should just head to bed and wish this week to go by quickly.

With a groan, she stood up to shut and lock the door. When she got there, however, she was surprised to find someone on the other side of the screen door.

"Hey, Annie."

"Jai? What are you doing here?" Annie asked, feeling somewhat exposed in her outfit.

"Just out taking a stroll. It's a nice night out. I'm sorry we didn't get a chance to talk before. May I come in?"

"Umm, I'm afraid not," Annie said, as his hand reached for the screen door's handle. "It's late, and I was about to go to bed."

"Didn't take you for an early riser," Jai said with a smile.

"The bus trip was long. What about you? Weren't you in London 24 hours ago?"

"Don't need much sleep, actually," Jai said with a shrug. "Travel so much, jet lag doesn't apply."

"Well, Jai, I really must say good night," Annie said, half-closing the door.

"Good night, Annie," Jai said, walking back off the small deck and heading off down the path.

From his vantage point on his deck, Auggie overheard the entire thing and chuckled to himself. He couldn't believe Jai thought he could just charm his way into Annie's cabin on the first night. He'd been a bit nervous for a few seconds before she answered, but he gave Annie credit for not giving into the man's charm.

Jai's reputation at the magazine left more than a handful of women pining and eventually quitting once Jai got through with them. Given his status as the publisher's son meant he never got reprimanded.

And now, Auggie thought, he was honing in on his latest "conquest." Auggie shook his head. Not if he had anything to do with it.

**A/N Review, review, if you would. Going to sleep now and wish to wake up w/ an inbox full. :)**


	5. Chapter 5

Annie walked out of the main house, wondering what she should do with the rest of her day. Their itinerary listed today as a "free day," where they could enjoy the resort's amenities or work at their leisure.

Considering yesterday was pretty much a "work day," Annie decided today would definitely be a leisure day for her. The morning sunlight was peeking through the clouds, and the air was cool, but warming. Just the type of weather that begged to be enjoyed. But, what to do, she thought. She only knew a few people at the magazine, and she didn't really feel like hanging out by herself. She'd eaten breakfast alone and now ambled out along the path.

The lights were on and the front door open at Auggie and Stu's cabin, so she decided to check in with them, see if they had any ideas for the day.

She knocked on the door and announced herself. "Hey, guys, it's Annie. May I come in?"

"Yeah, come in," she heard Auggie shout, so she let herself in the screen door. "Wow, your place is bigger than mine," she said, looking around the great room.

Auggie had stood from the couch and took a couple of steps toward her, and she saw Stu hunched over a laptop at a table. "Oh, I guess you guys are going to make this a work day?"

"Stu is," Auggie said. "Claims he had a surge of inspiration during the night. Can't pull him away from it. He's been there for a couple of hours now."

"They're serving breakfast now if you want a break, Stu," Annie said.

"Maybe later. Gotta get all this in before I forget it," he replied.

Annie shrugged, then turned back toward Auggie, who looked just as adorable as he did yesterday when he'd gotten on the bus. Maybe even more so, given he only wore a t-shirt now, and his hair was a little wilder.

"I didn't know the Campbells were such taskmasters with their writers," she said.

"Oh, he's not working on an article. Stu and I run a sort of side business within the magazine," he said. "We write, develop and implement technological applications for the disabled."

"Holy mackerel," Annie said. "I had no idea. And that's what you guys are doing now?"

"That's what Stu's doing now. He's on the software end of it. I deal more with practical application. It's kind of handy to have an in-house tester," he said with a laugh. "What about you? Any plans for the day?"

"No, I need at least one day this week to unwind. I was thinking of taking a walk. They've got some nice trails around here. Would you –" Annie hesitated, wondering if Auggie would be the type of person to enjoy a traipse in the woods.

"I'd love to join you," Auggie said. "Just let me get a sweatshirt on and some sturdy shoes."

While he headed back into his bedroom, Annie waited. She thought that maybe she should strike up some conversation with Stu, but he was typing furiously on the laptop and looked so intent on his work, she didn't want to interrupt him with chatter.

Auggie came out a minute later in a USC sweatshirt, heavy boots and a red-tipped, white cane. "Ready to go?"

As the door shut behind them, Stu breathed a sigh of relief and made a mental note to send Annie some flowers for getting Auggie out of his hair. Though he appreciated Auggie's intellect and help, at this stage in the process he preferred to work in quiet and alone.

He'd much rather be doing this in the office or back at his apartment, but he had to admit that the quiet and solitude of this resort allowed him to concentrate better. He just hoped they could get this latest application worked through and implemented by the end of the week.

Out of all of the products their department had created over the past few years, this would be one of the most lucrative, both for the company and them. Their contracts gave them a good percentage of the end sales, and Stu and Auggie stood to make a good amount of money this time.

He didn't like the fact that the magazine – or actually the publishing company – owned the applications when they were done, but without the backing and equipment the company provided, they'd never be able to do it in the first place.

* * *

><p>The trail, Auggie found, was pretty well looked after, and with his cane and Annie's instructions, he was able to walk the leaf-strewn path with ease. He made sure, though, to keep a good grip on her arm. Just to be safe, he told her, but he'd be lying if he didn't enjoy the caresses of her side along his hand and wrist.<p>

Annie kept up a monologue of what she saw, and he could tell how good a writer she was from her detailed descriptions. Hell, he could listen to her voice all day, and as they came around a corner, he pulled her to a stop.

"Auggie, what is it?"

"Shh, listen, can you hear that?" he asked.

"Sort of, what do you think it is?"

"Waterfall. You said there's a lake here, right? There must be a river or creek feeding into it," Auggie said with a smile.

Annie listened carefully and looked around, trying to pinpoint where the rushing sound was coming from. Then she saw it, a break off of the path that led to what she figured was the waterfall. "Come with me," she said, leading them down the path. "Be careful. It's a bit rougher here."

With steadier steps and Annie's caerful guidance, she and Auggie made their way down the path until the woods opened up, and she gasped. "Oh, wow, it's beautiful. Auggie, the path ends here, and there's a bench. It's a creek, like you said, and the water drops off about ten feet."

"Let's take a seat, then," Auggie said. The bench was rough-hewn wood and was surprisingly comfortable. As he sat down, Auggie took a deep breath and sighed in relief as the soft air met his nose and filled his lungs.

"Mm, I've missed this," he said.

"What?" Annie said. "Getting damp by a waterfall?"

"No, smart aleck, getting out in the open like this. When I had my motorcycle –" Auggie shook his head. "Let's just say Stu's not one for the sticks."

It was on the tip of Annie's tongue to offer to take him out with her on her motorcycle, or just finding more trails like this, but for some reason, a wave of shyness came over her. In the bus and at dinner last night, they teased and flirted, reveling in a new acquaintance, but out here now, alone, with the beauty of the world around them, it didn't come as easy as it did then.

"Well, if you want," she said slowly, "maybe we could –"

"Yeah, I want," Auggie answered quickly. He could tell through her body language and voice that she was a bit nervous, and he reached out his arm to her, placing it around her shoulder.

He meant it only as a reassuring gesture, but she slid over the few inches between them and tucked herself into his side. It was a loose embrace, but still held a bit of emotion and closeness.

"Are you okay with this?" he asked.

"Feels okay so far," Annie replied.

"Just asking, 'cause you weren't so reserved yesterday when you invited me to climb up behind you on your motorcycle," he teased.

"This is reserved?" Annie asked, her arm tightening around his back.

"Well, we haven't even known each other for 24 hours yet."

"What does time have to do with it?" Annie scoffed. "Unless you've got someone else, and this is a problem."

"Nope," he replied, shaking his head. "you?"

"No," Annie said softly. "Not anymore."

Well, that's an answer that warrants further questioning, Auggie thought, and as he waited a few seconds for her to elaborate, he suddenly felt her move, and a caress of her cheek along his neck, his jaw, and further upward.

He turned and ducked his head just in time to meet her lips with his. His free hand came up to cup her jaw and adjust his angle to meet her mouth more fully on his own.

It was just a brush, but given the almost romantic setting and the fact that they were completely alone, Auggie wanted to press for more. He also didn't want to press too hard, too fast. That was Wilcox's strategy, not his, and he hoped to be with Annie longer than this week.

In his embrace with his hand covering her cheek, Annie couldn't quite believe how safe and warm and cherished she felt by a man she barely knew. Sure, they'd gotten to know each other a lot yesterday during the drive, but never before had she felt such an attraction to someone she'd just met.

He obviously was interested in her, as well, and she decided to just go with it. She began returning his kisses with ones of her own. She swore she could feel him smile under her lips.

Not wanting to press too hard, but not wanting to let her go just yet, uggie tested the waters with his tongue, nipping out to taste her just a bit. She met it with her own, however, and it nearly took his breath away as the kiss immediately deepened.

A shiver ran down Annie's spine at the taste of Auggie swept her mouth. And by some miracle, he seemed to be pressing and holding back at the same time. Not that anything further than a quick makeout session could be had here, given the terrain and dampness, but Annie was, nonetheless, swept up in the intensity.

All too soon, he began to withdraw, and she swallowed the groan of disappointment when his lips no longer touched hers. She settled for nuzzling her head into his neck and shoulder.

"That wasn't very reserved at all, Miss Walker," Auggie teased, giving her shoulders a squeeze.

"I guess not," Annie said. "Think we broke a record for two people getting together within 24 hours?"

"I don't know, and I don't care. Why don't we just take it as it comes, and see what happens?"

"Sounds good to me," Annie said, giving him a final squeeze before standing up. "How about we head back?"

* * *

><p>Their walk back was more easy and friendly, with the teasing and flirting of their first meeting on the bus flowing more freely now. Auggie kept wanting to ask her what she meant when she said she didn't have anyone close to her "anymore," but didn't want to ruin the good thing happening between them now.<p>

They were nearly back at his cabin when Annie pulled him up short. "Auggie, the Campbells are walking out of your cabin," she said.

"Arthur and Joan? Why?"

"Auggie!" Stu shouted, seeing his boss walking back with Annie. "Where have you been?"

"Out walking with Annie. You know that, Stu. What's going on?"

"The laptop's gone, Auggie!" Stu shouted, beginning to pace and wring his hands before him. "All that work, everything, was on that one laptop."

"How is it gone?" Auggie asked. "You take that thing with you everywhere."

"I'd gone for a quick breakfast, and I know I locked the place up. Hell, I even hid the laptop, but when I got back, it was gone!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN So, as a treat for leaving this so long while Shades of Gray was being written, I included a bit of A&A goodness along with the storyline. And who cares if they've only known each other a day? When you like someone, you like someone.**

**And the waterfall I had them go to is similar to the one I encountered myself in the Poconos. Absolutely breathtaking. Can still picture it in my mind, though it was about 20 years ago. Wow, Beth, you are getting up there in age. lol**

**Although this is AU, the interactions w/ everyone will pretty much follow the CA canon, generally speaking.**

**A review, if you would? Love hearing from you all! Happy Holidays!**


	6. Chapter 6

Annie took a seat between Auggie and Stu in the main hall's dining room. Auggie automatically reached over and grabbed her hand, and she gave it a reassuring squeeze.

They'd all just finished eating dinner, and the wait staff was clearing the tables. Arthur called them all together, saying he had some news for everyone. Now he stood and waited for everyone to be quiet before he started talking.

"Thanks, everyone, for sticking around. I know today was your free day before we started working, but something's come up. A piece of equipment – a laptop – has gone missing from one of the cabins. Personally, I'd like to handle this internally, but Joan insisted we call in the local authorities. Officer Rossabi?"

A tall, dark-haired man who was standing by the wall pushed off of it and approached them. "Good evening, everyone. My name is Officer Rossabi. I understand from Mr. Campbell here that everyone here is on a work retreat from New York City?"

The crowd murmured their answers, and Annie could swear she saw the man frown. "Yeah, well, guess camping season's starting early," he said. "So, Cabin 1 is inhabited by August Anderson and Stu Heatherton, am I correct?"

Both men nodded, and Rossabi continued, "And where were you when you believe the laptop was taken?"

"I had taken a few minutes to come down here for breakfast," Stu said. "About 9am."

"I see," Rossabi said, taking a few notes. "And who is Mr. Anderson?"

Auggie raised his hand, "Here. I was taking a walk with a friend."

Rossabi's gaze lasted a bit longer on Auggie as he noted the man didn't quite look him in the eye as he answered. "And what friend would that be?"

"Me," Annie said, fighting back an instant dislike for the man's attitude. "When Auggie and I left this morning, Stu was hard at work, alone in the cabin. When we came back, he said the laptop had been stolen."

Rossabi frowned, but made a few more notes. "You say you locked the cabin behind you?"

"Yes," Stu said. "I figured I'd only be gone for a few minutes, but that laptop holds valuable information, so I slid it into my suitcase before I left, locking the door behind me."

"Well, I'll have to have a look at this cabin. Who all has keys?"

"I can answer that," a female voice piped up behind the crowd.

Annie turned to see the resort's owner, Danielle Brooks, stand up. "All cabins have two sets of keys. One I provide to the guests, and one I keep in my office, in case they lock themselves out."

"I'll want to see your office, then, as well," Rossabi said, flipping his notebook shut. "I take it you all will be here over the next week?"

"Yes, we just got here yesterday for a work retreat. We're due to board the bus again Saturday morning," Arthur said.

"Good, then I guess I don't have to tell you not to leave town, and we'll be in touch?" Rossabi said. "Mrs. Brooks? If you'll show me your office?"

As they left, Arthur stood back up as chairs began scraping. "Stu? Auggie? A word, please?"

"I'll see you later," Annie whispered to Auggie as she walked out at the back of the crowd. She could hear a few of them whispering among themselves, but since she hadn't really met anyone other than the Campbells, Stu, Auggie and Jai, she didn't feel comfortable eavesdropping.

Everyone left the building out the front door, but Annie spied a small sitting area in the lobby and headed for one of the chairs. She wanted some time to think and be there for Stu and Auggie as they left.

She was Auggie's alibi, but she also felt an affinity for his co-worker and couldn't believe that he'd be involved in sabotaging his own work. And since they'd just gotten there the day before, she doubted that anyone on the staff would've known how valuable the laptop was or known where to find it.

She was contemplating the idea of an inside job when she heard raised voices outside. The window behind her was open, and she pulled aside the cotton, flowery curtain to see Jai face-to-face with someone she thought she recognized, but couldn't be sure from this angle.

"What are you doing here?"

"It's my magazine, son, my retreat, my idea. Where are you going with this line of questioning?"

Ahh, Annie thought. The well-dressed, sophisticated older man Jai was talking to must be his celebrated father, Henry Wilcox. She'd never met him, as all of her interviews and hiring was done through the Wilcoxes.

She didn't want to overhear, but what Jai said next had her clasping her hand to her mouth in shock.

"I saw you heading towards Anderson's cabin this morning."

"So? I'd really like to get something to eat, son, so if you'd get to your point, please."

"That little project he and Heatherton are working on has gone missing, and considering both of them were out of the cabin when I saw you heading there seems a little suspicious, don't you?"

"You saw nothing. And it's going to stay that way, or I'll have to give the Campbells a full audit of your expenditures during your travels. Even though you're my son, they do have hiring and firing capability of anyone at the company. What do you think they'd do if they found out exactly what that $2,000 miscellaneous expense last year in India was for?"

Both intrigued and thoroughly confused, Annie waited for Jai to respond, but he didn't. Instead, he seemed to blanch, his dark skin paling considerably, and he turned and stalked away.

"Annie?"

She turned quickly away from the window, afraid that she'd gotten caught, but saw Auggie and Stu standing there. "Hey, ready to head back?" she asked, trying to school her features and voice into something that didn't betray the newfound knowledge she'd just received.

"Yeah, Rossabi's gotta look over the cabin, then it's time to get back to work," Stu said, his face showing every sign of anger and upset.

"Well, I'm sure Auggie could give you a hand, and why don't I join you, as well? I don't know as much about all this stuff than you guys do, but I'm willing to help," she said, walking between the two men and hooking an arm through both of theirs.


	7. Chapter 7

Vincent Rossabi followed behind the trio as they walked from the main house to the first cabin. When he took the job in this sleepy town, he'd wished for and was granted a quiet existence. Most arrests were misdemeanors, and he couldn't remember the last time a felony came his way.

Until now, he thought. Well, if it came to much, the county judge and d.a. would be happy. Their caseload over the past few years dealt mainly with civil cases, a few DUIs, petty theft, shoplifting. They only kept full-time hours because the state law required them to do so.

But, though he wasn't a fan of these cityfolk, he was almost grateful for something to do. Not that he'd ever let that on. He may be a smalltown chief of police, but he refused to be pushed around by anyone.

"So, this laptop computer," he said, as the four of them walked into the cabin. "What would the worth be?"

"Retail, $1,500," Stu said, "But with the information that was on it, thousands. Hell, probably tens of thousands, right, Aug?"

Rossabi's eyebrows rose at the man's words, and his pen froze on the pad he was writing notes on. "Excuse me?"

"I was writing software on it," Stu explained. "A new app to help the disabled read webpages."

"Disabled? Like, what –"

"Blind," Auggie supplied, and no one in the room missed the mild vein of sarcasm in his voice.

"Mostly, yes," Stu added, "But I'm also trying to fine tune some speech recognition into captioning for the deaf. It works when people are speaking clearly, but –"

Rossabi waved his hand, "Yeah, okay, and how do you figure this worth tens of thousands of dollars?"

Auggie took a seat on the couch, smiling a bit to himself as he felt Annie follow him. He wasn't sure what the others thought of this Rossabi guy, but his tone irked Auggie. "The publishing company is set to distribute a special tech issue of the magazine. The debut of the app that Stu was writing, and that I would test, was scheduled to be made available at that time."

"Wait," Rossabi said, looking from his notebook to the two men. "You're writers for a magazine, but you write software applications?"

"It's a subsidiary of our department," Auggie said. "When I had my motorcycle accident and woke up without my sight in the hospital, Henry Wilcox allowed me to keep working at the company, but I wanted to do more. When Stu was hired as my assistant, he had a computer science background, and we went to Wilcox with the idea of using the department's assets and money to create applications for my own use, and for the public's, as well."

"I see," Rossabi said, pacing the length of the room. "And who owns the patents on these inventions?"

Stu could see Auggie's irritation begin to spike, so he took up the reins. "As it's made in the company and with company's resources, Wilco Publishing does. But we get a substantial share of any profits."

"That doesn't seem very fair," Rossabi said. "You do all the work, and Wilcox gets the glory. It wouldn't be the first time I've seen that a guy steals his own work so his partner doesn't get a cut."

Annie refused to stay quiet any longer and let out an audible scoff. All heads turned towards her, and she stood, refusing to back down from the smirking man. "That's illogical."

Then, when Rossabi cocked his head to the side at her, wordlessly challenging her assessment, she continued, "Why? Why do it now? Here, when everyone knows what he's working on? Stu's a genius. I think if he wanted to steal his own work, he'd do it in a much more devious way, without witnesses. Or he could just sabotage what he gives to Auggie and use the real software to sell to the highest bidder."

When she stopped to take a breath, all three men were looking at her. She kept her eyes on Rossabi, though, until he began to nod.

"You're right, of course. Your name was?"

"Annie Walker. I'm a writer on the staff," she said, resuming her seat next to Auggie, who reached over and entwined her fingers with his.

"Thank you, Miss Walker. Now, Mr. Heatherton, if you could show me where this suitcase was?"

As Rossabi walked through the cabin, with Stu showing him his movements of that morning, Annie sat back into the couch. Auggie leaned over and whispered low so the others couldn't hear, "Remind me never to get into a debate with you."

Annie chuckled and whispered, "That guy just rubs me the wrong way. There's no way Stu could be guilty."

"I see that all the windows are closed and locked," Rossabi noted, walking towards the front door.

"Yes, sometimes I suffer from allergies. I'm not much for fresh air," Stu said.

"Hmm, I'd make a comment about coming to the mountains for a week if you've got allergies, but we've got work to do," Rossabi said with a chuckle. "Now, the key to the door is a simple one, I see, with a keyhole in the handle and no deadlock. And there's no signs of it being forced."

"So, whoever stole the laptop picked the lock or had an extra key?" Annie asked.

"Yeah," Auggie chimed in. "Did Mrs. Brooks have her copy?"

"Yep," Rossabi said.

"And I've still got mine," Stu said, pulling the key ring from his pocket.

"So it was picked," Auggie said.

Or, Annie thought to herself, somebody lifted Mrs. Brooks' key and returned it before they went to look for it. She smiled to herself, thinking she'd read way too many Agatha Christie novels. She wondered who'd be more adept at solving this type of crime, Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot.

Before her active imagination could let her evolve a plausible scenario, she heard Rossabi talking again.

"Well, thank you, everyone. I'll make my report and get back to you," he said, nodding once and walking out.

Stu stared at the closed door for a few seconds, then walked dejectedly back to the desk and slumped into the seat. "God, Aug, I'm sorry."

"For what? You didn't do anything wrong."

"I shouldn't have come on this trip. I shouldn't have brought that work with me. It could've waited, but I wanted more time for testing, and –"

Annie couldn't stand the younger man putting himself down any further and stood, walking over to where he sat. She put both hands on his shoulders and said, "Auggie's right. You did nothing wrong, Stu. And we're going to do everything we can to get that laptop back."

"How are you going to do that?" Auggie asked, walking up to them both.

Annie thought for a moment, wondering if she should relay what she heard that morning. The look on both of their faces gave her the courage, and she quickly detailed everything she heard between Jai and Henry Wilcox while they were still in the dining room.

"Wait a minute," Auggie said, taking a step back. "Are you saying –"

"I'm not sure what I'm saying," Annie replied. "But what if it's true? What if it was Henry Wilcox who stole the laptop? I mean, Rossabi himself said that it's not a new crime for one partner to steal from the other."

Stu shook his head, "I don't know, Annie. I can't see Mr. Wilcox doing something like that."

Annie looked over at Auggie, wanting to see some type of believability in his eyes, but he looked just as skeptical as Stu did. "Okay, then. Maybe it's just my overactive imagination. Look, I'm going to head over to my cabin, try to get some work done, okay?"

She was to the door when she heard her name and turned to see Auggie on her heels.

"It's not that I don't believe you, Annie," he said quietly, his hand reaching out and unerringly catching her shoulder. "But we can't just go around blaming people, especially somebody like Henry Wilcox."

"I wasn't blaming anyone," Annie said. "I was just telling you what I heard."

Auggie nodded, "I'd wanted to spend more time with you, but –"

"You two need to work, I understand," she said, reaching up to brush a quick kiss across his lips. "I'll see you later."

Annie walked out of the cabin and down to the path, wondering if she should go to her own cabin to do some work, or take a stroll and think through her racing thoughts. She didn't really expect Auggie nor Stu to just glom onto her burgeoning theory about Henry Wilcox being the perpetrator, but maybe being the newbie worked to her disadvantage.

They both knew the man well and would be a better judge of his character than she, but she still couldn't get that conversation out of her head. As if on cue, she heard the younger Wilcox call her name.

"Annie?"

"Hello, Jai."

"Hell of a day, huh?" he asked, walking up to her.

"You could say that. Less than a week on the job, and the police have been called already," Annie joked.

Her subterfuge worked, and she saw an easy smile cross his face. It wouldn't do to make too many enemies, she thought, especially if her theories proved to be fruitless. It wouldn't hurt, though, to subtly gather some more information, would it?

"Since today is supposed to be our free day, I figured I'd spend the remaining few hours sitting by the lake. Care to join me?" she asked.

* * *

><p><strong>AN Well, what do you think? Is Annie getting in too deep?**

**Please review.**


	8. Chapter 8

Annie sat on the front steps of her cabin, watching the last of the sunset dissolve behind the tree-lined mountains and the moon becoming brighter above her. Normally a sight like this would instill inspiration in her, as would the soft air and breeze coming off the lake.

But all she could think about was the events of the day. The morning started off so promising. A beautiful walk in the woods, the discovery of an unexpected waterfall and enjoying it in Auggie's presence. And now he was holed up in his cabin with Stu, frantically trying to re-create all that had been lost with the loss of the laptop.

She'd hoped to spend some more time with him, at least longer than the few hours they had together so far. Now it seemed that they'd probably have to wait until they got back to New York. She sighed and glanced back over to the lit-up windows of Auggie and Stu's cabin.

And wondered what she should do. The conversation between Jai and Henry Wilcox still rang through her head, as did the talk she had with Jai afterwards. Though she'd tried to talk about his father and their relationship, he'd always steered the conversation back to himself and the places he'd traveled to. Annie quickly became bored of his grandiosing and excused herself to her cabin on the pretext of needing to work.

And that's where she'd been cooped up for the past several hours. She'd managed to get some writing done, but the nagging feeling wouldn't go away. Someone here had stolen Stu's computer. Out of a locked cabin. That someone had to have known what he was working on, and how valuable it was. That meant one of them was responsible.

She hated to think that one of her new co-workers was some kind of criminal, but the facts were facts. And, she knew, there was no way she'd get any amount of quality work done until that person was caught.

The time had come to act, and with that in mind, she marched up to Auggie and Stu's cabin and knocked on the door.

"Hey, Annie," Stu said as he opened the door. "I'm glad you're here."

"Really?" Annie asked, stepping into the room.

"Yeah, now Auggie will have someone to talk to, and I can work in peace."

With that, Stu went over to his table and sat down in his chair, the legs scraping against the floor as he pulled himself in. Annie wanted to offer him a bit of comfort, but his entire demeanor was surly, and she knew it wasn't really the time and place for compassion.

Instead, she turned to Auggie, who sat on the couch, a thick book in his hands, and his fingers running over the dots. "Auggie, do you think we could talk?"

"In the bedroom, please, or outside," Stu piped up from across the room.

Auggie snapped the book shut and stood, motioning to Annie with his hand the door down the hall. She followed him into the room and sat on the edge of the bed. He shut the door and sat next to her.

"So," Annie said. "Interesting day."

Auggie's eyebrows rose at her statement, and he let out a mirthless chuckle. "Yeah, you could say that."

"I've been thinking about all this," she said, figuring that if she didn't speak quickly, he'd probably ask her to leave. "The only person who could have taken that laptop was someone who knew how valuable and important it was."

"Yep, can't argue with that."

"So, that means that nobody on staff here could have taken it. It had to be –" she took a deep breath before continuing, "it had to be one of us."

Auggie shifted beside her, his arms coming down on his thighs and his head falling into his hands. "I know."

Annie's heart went out to him, and she ran her hand up and down his t-shirt covered back. "We've got an alibi, as does Stu. Do you have anyone else in mind?"

Auggie groaned at the warmth her hand was creating through the thinness of his shirt and also at the implications of her words. He'd been thinking the same thing the entire afternoon and evening. "But who?"

"I'm not sure. There's only a few people I've met so far. Do you –"

"Annie, as much as I'd like to play amateur sleuth with you, I can't. Not now. Stu and I have been working all day. I'm exhausted, and I can feel a migraine coming on."

Annie blinked with realization. Here she was caught up in her own problems and playing detective, and she failed to see that Auggie, too, was suffering. Maybe, she thought, the motorcycle accident left him with more than a loss of a sense. He seemed to be actually suffering, rubbing his temples and frowning.

She slipped her shoes off and scooted back on the bed until she could slide behind him. She leaned forward until she could reach his shoulders and began to massage the tight muscles. He was stiff and unyielding at first, but soon he gave in and leaned back so she could reach him better.

The stress and unanswered questions of the day had weighed heavily on Auggie, and before Annie had arrived, he seriously contemplated dipping into his stash of heavy duty painkillers and going to sleep for about 12 hours.

Now it seemed he didn't have to, given how the pounding between his ears was ebbing. He knew Annie was just trying to help him and Stu, but really, what could they do, other than just start over and re-create what had been lost? Stu was angry and frustrated, and he'd tried to help, but his assistant worked best alone.

Annie's fingers moved from his shoulders to his neck, their soothing pressing sending shivers down his spine. Had he been less exhausted, he could have allowed his imagination to wander to other things those fingers could be doing. But for now, he accepted what she was offering.

When the headache slid away to just a dull ache, he rotated his neck. He groaned with satisfaction when his spine re-aligned with a few auditory pops. He stretched his arms up, giving his spine some much-needed relaxation. When Annie's hands slid off of him, and he felt her move away, he turned his head towards her with a grin.

"That's all? It was just starting to feel good."

"By the smile on your face, I'd say you were feeling good enough," Annie replied. It was a good thing he couldn't see the flushing on her cheeks, 'cause while she was running her fingers over his broad back and shoulders and neck, she couldn't help but admire his muscular physique and wonder what the rest of him looked like.

"Thank you, Annie."

"You're welcome," she said, moving back down the mattress until she was sitting beside him. He didn't say anything else, only sat there with a half-smile on his lips. Though they'd be in something of the same position less than 12 hours ago, the atmosphere between them was less light-hearted and more strained.

She reached down and slid her shoes back on. "I know you've got work to do, so –" she said, standing up. Her exit, however, was halted by his grabbing her wrist. "Auggie, what –"

"Just, could you stay for a while? Stu doesn't need my help, not yet, and –"

Annie smiled and let him pull her back to him. "You want some company?"

"We – we don't have to do anything, but I can't bear just standing around with my thoughts and –"

Annie silenced him with a finger to his lips. Without a word, she slipped back out of her shoes and climbed back on the bed, lying on her back. He soon joined her, lying beside her on his back, as well. She slid closer, grabbing his arm and lifting it around her. She nestled her head onto his shoulder.

"Just relax, Annie. We've got all week to play detective."

"I know. And after this is all done, maybe we can take that motorcycle trip."

Auggie squeezed his arm around her shoulders. "Lookin' forward to it, Miss Walker."

* * *

><p><strong>AN I'm itching to get into the mystery side, but needed to get A&A together first. How are you guys liking it so far?**


	9. Chapter 9

**Another piece of the puzzle, and the introduction to the other character listed. Hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

><p>The next day was the start of the scheduled workshops and one-on-ones with the Campbells, with Henry Wilcox sitting in every once in a while. Annie was secretly glad she'd spent time with Auggie the day before, as now except for breakfast, lunch and dinner, they rarely saw one another.<p>

The workshops were split up by departments, and Annie spent her time getting to know her fellow writers and editors and assistants. In the back of her mind the theft of the laptop dwelled, but she found it more than a little difficult playing amateur detective while concentrating on her job.

In between the workshops over the next couple of days, they had free breaks, and she wandered around the grounds and the main house filing in her mind the information she'd found out about her fellow co-workers. They all knew about the theft, of course, but other than some idle gossip, no one person stood out to knowing more than the next.

Tuesday morning, she was walking past the front desk when a familiar figure came out of Mrs. Brooks' office. He didn't see her at first, but the shock of his presence had Annie standing stock still a few feet away.

He nearly bumped into her, and when he stopped to avoid the collision, his eyes bore into hers, and she choked out his name. "Ben?"

"Oh my, Annie?"

It wasn't a hallucination, she knew that for sure. She'd know those blue eyes rimmed with impossibly long, dark lashes anywhere. Ben Mercer, the so-called love of her life, whom she hadn't seen for three years.

"Ben," she whispered again, not being able to speak more than his name due to the sudden rush of feelings building up in her chest. Shock and surprise came first, of course. Then, as he stood there looking her up and down with his eyes and mouth wide open, the memory of those three years previous came down on her hard.

"Where the hell have you been?" she bit out.

"Oh, geez, Annie, I can explain. Everything."

She took a half a step back and crossed her arms over her chest. "You've got two minutes."

"You can't possibly –" Then, seeing the determined look on her face, Ben began talking fast. "Okay, the whole thing is way too complicated to get into now, but long story short, I panicked. I'm sorry, but that's the best way to explain it. I panicked, and I left. The note I left should have explained –"

"The note wasn't enough," Annie said.

"I know it wasn't, not at the time, but I took the cowardly way out and left. I did love you, Annie. I still do, I mean, look at you now. You're still so beautiful –"

Annie might've been taken in by his pretty words in the past, but she made a show of looking at her watch.

"Okay, okay. I ran, I'm a coward, I was scared. I bummed around for a good, long while, until I wound up here. My money had run out, so I took a job here as a maintenance man. End of story."

Annie didn't want to believe him, and she knew it'd be a good, long while before she forgave him for the hurt he caused, but she really had no reason to think he was lying.

"So, you're working here now?" she asked.

"Yes," he answered, obviously relieved. Ben so imagined the day he'd run into Annie Walker again, and how angry she'd be. But though she wasn't quite welcoming him with open arms, she wasn't berating him or resorting to physical violence, both of which he knew he deserved.

"As a maintenance man?"

"I know, I know, kind of a step down from traveling the world, huh? Remember the time when we –"

"I have no wish to revisit the past with you," Annie said, holding up a hand. "It took me a long time to get over you, Ben, but I have. And I've got a new job now and new friends and –" She hesitated mentioning Auggie, as their burgeoning relationship was so new and fresh.

"No problem, Annie. I'm just happy to see you, and congratulations on your new job. It's for Wilco Publishing, right? The group that's here this week?"

Annie nodded.

"We often get groups from New York here, but I gotta say, yours is the first to call in the police," Ben said with a chuckle. "What happen? Somebody get plastered and demolish one of the cabins?"

"No, Ben, actually –" Annie stopped herself from divulging anymore, as it was really none of Ben's business. Mrs. Brooks knew, and if she'd wanted her maintenance man to know their business, she would've told him already. His question, though, and where they were standing made her think again of their mystery.

"I can't really talk about it," she said with a small smile. "What were you doing there? Wasn't that Mrs. Brooks' office?"

The smile and receptive demeanor soothed Ben's apprehension, and he turned to the door. "Oh, yeah. She keeps all the keys to the buildings in there. Makes me put them back as soon as I'm done."

Annie looked at the door he thumbed at, and besides the nameplate of "Danielle Brooks, Owner and Manager," it was pretty plain. She was about to turn away when that description made her look harder at it. Plain. As in, nothing but wood, a metal doorknob and a nameplate.

"No locks," she whispered to herself.

"Huh?"

"Oh, nothing. Just thinking out loud," Annie said.

"Okay. Listen, I gotta get back to work, but if you're gonna be here all week, maybe we could get together, catch up?"

"No, I don't think so," Annie said with a quick shake of her head.

The hopeful smile fell from Ben's lips, and he nodded in defeat. "All right. Well, it was nice seeing you again, Annie."

Annie was still standing there when Ben left, staring at Mrs. Brooks' door. Behind it were all the keys, she now knew, and with no lock on the door, anyone could access them. She shook her head at the trusting nature of Mrs. Brooks. But, if what Ben said was true, they'd never had a reason not to trust anyone until now.

So, Annie thought, she now knew how whoever took the laptop got access to the cabin. The only question now was, who did it?


	10. Chapter 10

Officer Vincent Rossabi sat in the lobby of Brooks House, going over his notes of the laptop theft and trying to decide what move to make next and who to talk to. It'd been a few days since the call of the theft, and the district attorney was breathing down his neck to make an arrest. Personally, he'd never heard of Wilco or Wilcox or whatever, but the d.a. had, and given the closeness of the next election, a story like this would be quite the feather in his cap.

Rossabi scoffed at the notion, but hey, whatever, right? He's just glad his job wasn't controlled by masses of voters. Politics had no place in law enforcement.

"Excuse me, Officer Rossabi?"

He looked up to see – what was her name again? Blonde, young, pushy, beautiful. He flipped through his mental directory and came up with –

"Yes, Annie Walker, right?"

"Yes," she said, a smile on her face.

Well, he thought, at least he got one thing right today. "What can I do for you?"

"Just wanted to know if there's any news on the theft," she said, sitting down beside him.

Rossabi was hesitant to reveal what he'd found – or hadn't found, really – to this point. But he soon found out he didn't have to as she began speaking, low and in a hushed tone. When he realized what she was saying, he listened intently.

Apparently, she'd overheard Henry Wilcox and Jai Wilcox – father and son, he remembered – talking about the elder's activities the morning the laptop went missing. Interesting, he thought. Everyone was a suspect at this point, but the publisher? And then she began talking about the office, how it's left open where the keys are kept, and anyone could get to them.

That part he knew, but she had a point. In fact, she hadn't really told him anything he hadn't already suspected. He figured he'd been taken in by her charms and good looks, and that's why he's letting this interview go on longer than it should have. But hey, maybe it'd help talking the case through with someone that's here and interested.

"You think Wilcox himself stole software that he owned?" he asked.

"You heard Stu and Auggie. They share the patents and compensation. You were quick to point fingers at them. Why not the other way around?"

"Huh, you've got a point there. It's plausible. Actually, I came up here to talk to the maintenance man, a Ben Mercer," he said, consulting his notebook.

He heard her gasp, so he looked back at her face. "What?"

"It's not Ben."

"It's not?"

"I – I knew him in the past. Actually, he's an ex of mine, and I've talked to him yesterday. I hate to say this about him, but I don't think he's smart enough to do something like this."

Rossabi bit back a laugh. "Okay, say I take your word for it and we think Wilcox did it. How would you prove it?"

She shrugged, "I don't know, but something's got to be done. We're leaving at the end of the week."

"I know," Rossabi said with a frown. Silence drew out between them as they both thought. Then Annie began to speak.

"I've got an idea."

"Yeah? Let's hear it."

"Well, we've got to talk to Stu and Auggie about it first."

Rossabi took a deep breath, wondering if he should just go along with this amateur detective's bright ideas. Then he thought of all the paperwork piled up on his desk at the office and the district attorney. And how he hadn't any further ideas himself, other than interviewing the maintenance man. And that was only because he had access to the keys.

"Okay, let's do it," he said.

* * *

><p><strong>AN Okay, I know it's short, but I'll be writing more and posting later. Just wanted to give Rossabi his own chapter. What do you think Annie's idea is going to be? How are they going to bring down the bad guys?**


	11. Chapter 11

That night at dinner, Annie once again sat with Auggie and Stu, her nerves on edge so much she could hardly eat. Though what they were about to do was her idea, what if she was wrong? She'd be in serious trouble and on the unemployment line again, probably dragging a few of her co-workers along with her. But no, she thought. If it didn't work, nothing would come of it. They weren't going to be pointing any fingers, and nobody would know of their suspicions until the plan was complete.

She felt Auggie's hand cover hers on the table, and he gave it a squeeze. "Thanks, Auggie," she whispered. "Are you ready?"

"Guess so. Haven't done any acting since high school, though," he whispered back.

"You'll be fine," she replied. She took a surreptitious look around to see that everyone – including their marks – were in the room. "Okay, everyone's here. It's showtime," she whispered to Auggie and nodded to Stu.

Auggie nodded and stood. "If I can have everyone's attention, please? Okay, I'm gonna assume you're all looking at me."

A smattering of laughter sounded around the room.

"Oh, good, you're here. I guess you'll remember that a few days ago, one of our laptops went missing? I'd love to say that it was found, but it hasn't. But the good news is, the information that was on it isn't lost."

Auggie paused for a few seconds, letting that nugget of intel sink in. Then, "It seems that for a couple of communications wizards, Stu and myself have been guilty of not, well, communicating with one another very well. One of us apparently made a copy of the software, which Stu found this afternoon. A bit of the information is lost, of course, what Stu was writing Sunday morning, but this means that we won't have to start over again, and the launch of the app isn't going to be delayed, after all."

The room erupted in hoorays and clapping and "thank Gods," and Auggie smiled, accepting all of the praise and sat back down. He patted himself on the back, thinking it wasn't a bad job of acting. He felt Annie leaning close, and he turned to her.

"Good job, sweetheart," she whispered in his ear, pressing a kiss against his cheek. She pulled away way too soon, and he instantly missed her scent. God, he couldn't wait to get away from this place. Once they got back to the city, he promised himself, he'd wine and dine her properly, getting to know her properly, without an audience.

Annie saw the longing in his eyes and knew what he was thinking. She, too, wished they were someplace else, without all this hoopla to contend with. Maybe before they left, they could take another walk out to that waterfall.

But until then, she had work to do. So, once all the congratulations died down in the room, her part came next. Standing, she said aloud, "This calls for a celebration! Everyone's invited to my cabin at 7 tonight for wine and cheese! I've talked to Mrs. Brooks, and she's offered to set us up."

This caused another rousing bout of clapping, and Annie could swear it was louder than Auggie's reception. Yeah, well, she thought, free booze usually got people happy. It also brought everyone to one cabin, and the next part of her plan would be put in place.

* * *

><p>Around 7:30, bottles had been opened, and the dozen of people in Annie's cabin were happily imbibed and noshed. She slid out of the room into her bedroom, carefully shutting the door.<p>

"Anything yet?" she whispered to the men inside.

Officer Rossabi, looking almost ill-at-ease sitting on her bed with Auggie, a laptop between them, said, "Nothing as of yet. Join the party."

"Everyone's oblivious out there," Annie said, scooting in next to Auggie, who had headphones on, listening intently to the laptop's audio. Annie and Rossabi watched the screen. A dim room showed on the monitor, courtesy of Stu's laptop, which had been "left" on and open in the cabin next door. A bit of technical know-how had the webcam enabled without any discrenable way of telling.

Had Rossabi not been there, Annie would take advantage of the fact that she and Auggie were on her bed in a dimly lit room, but the officer's discontent drove away any romantic notions either of them had.

After a good five minutes, Auggie started. "Someone's entered the cabin."

He unplugged his headphones so all three of them could hear the audio from the feed.

"I can't believe you talked me into this."

A closer look at the monitor showed Jai walking in with his father, heading straight for the desk with the laptop.

"Shut up and just do your work. You're still my employee."

"Why can't you do this? Oh, wait. I forgot. You're computer illiterate."

"Watch your tone. What are you complaining about? Just have to copy some files and then delete them off the computer. How hard is that?"

"Before I do this, I want your word that my previous debts are all erased?"

"If you'd just kept it in your pants, there wouldn't be any previous debts."

Henry Wilcox laughed, and Rossabi and Annie both shook their heads at the man's callousness.

"Just following my father's footsteps, or have you forgotten how I was conceived?"

"Are you done yet?"

"Why don't you just take this laptop, too? It'd be easier."

"It's too risky. This way, just prove that both of those guys are incompetent."

Annie felt Auggie twitch in response to Henry's retort, and said, "Is that enough for you, Officer?"

"Let's go."

The three of them slipped out of the bedroom, thankfully unnoticed by the crowd. They were all huddled around a table where Mrs. Brooks was handing out appetizers and pouring wine. Annie nodded to Stu, who followed them out. She also walked up to the Campbells and asked them to follow her.

Though they didn't seem happy about being pulled away from the free booze and food, once they saw Officer Rossabi leaving the cabin, they nodded and followed her out.

Single file – well, Annie walked beside Auggie – they walked across the grass in the warm summer air and assembled on the cabin's front door.

Rossabi looked around him at the assembled crew and had to chuckle. He usually didn't have such enthusiastic back-up. He pulled his service weapon and nodded at them to stay put. Pushing the door open, he flipped the lights on.

"Both of you, back away from the computer and put your hands up," he said.

The crowd behind him apparently didn't heed his warning to stay put, and he heard them file in.

"What is the meaning of this?" Henry Wilcox blustered.

Rossabi shook his head. Why don't they ever just do as they're told, he thought.

Annie's eyes widened as she saw Henry Wilcox approached by Rossabi. The older man blustered and fought and cried, and was finally pushed up against the wall while Rossabi pulled his arms behind his back and cuffed him.

Jai just stood there, half-smirking, half incredulous.

"You, too, Jai," Rossabi said. "Don't make this any harder on yourself than it needs to be."

Then it was Jai's turn to start blubbering, and Annie could hear Auggie chuckling beside her. She knew Auggie had no love for the man, and she could tell by the look on his face how self-satisfied he felt now.

"What are you doing? I had nothing to do with this. He's the one who stole the laptop," Jai said as Rossabi locked the cuffs around his wrists.

Just to shut them up, Rossabi said, "We heard everything. That laptop's webcam was turned on the entire time."

Jai's eyes swung around to the assembled group by the door, derision and anger evident in his eyes. When his gaze locked with Annie's, he looked dumbfounded and hurt. "Annie? You were in on this? How could you?"

"I gave you the chance to talk, Jai. All you were concerned about was getting in my pants," Annie retorted.

Auggie laughed and pulled her to his side. "Just go quietly, Jai, like you should have done all along."

* * *

><p><strong>AN Hooray! I'll be doing a summing up epilogue to finish this out. You know, the motivations and what happened to everybody. Oh, and A&A riding off into the sunset. :)**


	12. Chapter 12

Rossabi sighed heavily as he dragged the two blubbering men out of the cabin. Apparently, they refused to abide by the "you have the right to remain silent" part of their Miranda rights. The elder Wilcox was shouting loudly, and the rest of the people began filing out of the cabin adjoining.

"Is this how you treat your guests, Mrs. Brooks!" he shouted. "I'll have you all arrested for slander and libel and false arrest!"

Rossabi began walking faster towards his cruiser. He'd had a deputy standing by to help should anything come of this little sting. "Here, take this one and put him in the back. They've been Mirandized."

"You got it."

He then opened his back door and shoved Henry Wilcox in. Before shutting the door, though, he leaned against it. "Where's the laptop?"

Henry scowled at him and looked straight ahead.

"You know," Rossabi said, "My DA really wants your hide, but I think it's more of a posturing deal, given the closeness of the elections. And think of how the press will descend once my report goes out."

That got a response, as Henry growled. But Rossabi was more than a little done with this whole group. "It doesn't have to be this bad. Personally, I'd like to drive you all to the state line and kick you over it. Where is the laptop?"

"In my cabin," Henry Wilcox bit out.

"That wasn't too hard now, was it?" Rossabi said. "Anything else you'd like to say before we leave?"

Henry shook his head, so Rossabi shut the door and turned to find over a dozen people standing just a few feet away. He motioned to his deputy to wait a moment, and he walked over to the group.

"Annie Walker, I guess I have you to thank for all this," he said, extending his hand to the blonde. She shook it with a smile, and he returned it. "If this publishing business doesn't work out for you, maybe you could find a new career in private detective work."

He then turned to Auggie and Stu. "Wilcox said the missing laptop's in his cabin, if you'd like to retrieve it."

"Won't it be needed for evidence?" Stu asked.

"I have a feeling this won't get any further than a few fingerprints and a booking photo. I take it these gentlemen have high-priced lawyers on retainer?" he asked with a smirk.

Arthur Campbell spoke up, "Yes, I might as well call them now."

"Don't forget to call the board of directors chairman," Joan said, following behind her husband as he walked away. "He might be interested that Henry and Jai are in jail."

* * *

><p>After watching their leader and his son being driven away in police cars, the group broke up, heading off in little groups, gossiping and talking amongst themselves.<p>

Stu went directly to Mrs. Brooks and asked for the key to Henry Wilcox's cabin. He couldn't wait to get his beloved piece of machinery back. He was just glad that their little subterfuge worked, and Henry and Jai believed that they had a copy of their software. In actuality, they hadn't. It was bad form for him, for he knew better than to not make a copy of something as he was working.

But if you asked him directly, he'd blame the fact that he was forced to work at an old, rickety table in the middle of the woods on a laptop rather than in an office on his regular equipment.

Annie headed back to her cabin, Auggie's hand firmly gripping her elbow. She figured he'd want to go with Stu and get back to work, but she wasn't about to tell him to let go. The past five days had been more than a little weird, and she wouldn't mind the company for the night. Plus, somebody had to clean up after the staff.

Auggie hoped Annie didn't take his proprietary hand on her elbow as nothing more than just wanting to see her back to her cabin safely – so to speak. He was just so proud of her at that moment. She was a ball of fire, intelligent, with the motivation of a pitbull. He couldn't be more proud of her or more attracted to her than he was at that moment.

Arthur and Joan Campbell spent the rest of the night on the phone, while passing a bottle of wine they'd pilfered from Annie's "wine and cheese tasting party" between them. First they contacted Henry's lawyer, who wasn't all that happy about being pulled away from his home for this. Then they started contacting the board of directors. Though Henry Wilcox was founder and publisher, the conglomerate he built pretty much ran itself, and though his office would probably be empty for the near – and hopefully far – future, it would be nothing more than a slight hiccup in the operations.

As Arthur sat his cellphone back on the nightstand, he pulled the wineglass out of his wife's limp fingers and pulled her to his side. He wasn't all that worried about the Wilcoxes. If anything, he knew exactly what would happen.

By the time the cops got to the on-duty District Judge for arraignment, the lawyers would have gotten in touch with them and offered whatever it would take for his clients to be released. The men would be released and on their way back to New York City before dawn.

That much was true, as everyone soon found out a few days after they returned to the city after finishing up their "think tank weekend." To stave off gossiping and half-truths, which would cut down on production, Arthur Campbell called everyone to a conference one afternoon and gave them the details of what had happened and what will happen now.

The story went that Henry Wilcox was approached by a rival software firm who'd been after him to merge their divisions and offered a huge sum of money for the app Stu and Aug were about to release. The temptation was too great for the man, who'd grown a little tired of having to share profits.

Some might say it was a little odd for a man to do something so career-threatening for money he probably didn't need. But that question was never answered. Henry Wilcox vacated his office, his title and allowed his name to continue being used for no further recompense. In exchange, charges would be dropped.

Nobody heard from him after he'd left, but there was plenty of gossip and stories. The simplest was that he sold everything he owned and bought an island to live out the rest of his years. The more ridiculous was that he'd seen the error of his ways and had joined the priesthood.

Everyone knew what happened to Jai Wilcox, however. He'd made sure of that. There really was not much they could charge him with, other than being an accessory, and once Henry's deal came through, there was no need to hold him, as well.

They all thought that'd be the last they'd seen of him, but no, he was back in the office the next Monday, pretending everything was fine. Then he was summoned to the Campbells' office and presented with a healthy severance package – if he went quietly. Only the Campbells knew what Jai's last words were, but they let it slip to a few people that he'd left the country and gone back to India. Those who knew what was waiting for Jai back there wished him well. Others just wished he never come back.

As for Annie, once the board found that she was the catalyst behind the Wilcoxes' departure, she was offered a raise and an editorship. The former she accepted – who wouldn't – but the latter she turned down. She was more of a writer than anything and didn't want to give that up just as yet.

She also let it be known that Auggie and Stu helped, as well, and should be compensated. And they were with new contracts, bonuses, and full ownership of the software business.

A full two months afterwards, during the heat of the summer, Annie and Auggie requested – and was granted – a long weekend off. They'd been casually dating since they returned home, but hadn't been able to have any time to themselves until now.

* * *

><p>Annie knocked on Auggie's apartment door, her surprise gift to him cradled in her arms. She'd been looking forward to this weekend for a while and couldn't wait to spend some free time with him.<p>

He opened the door, but when he went to pull her into a hug, felt a huge item keeping his body from hers. "What is that?"

"Your present," Annie said, stepping inside and placing the box in his hands. "Open it," she said, barely able to contain her excitement.

Auggie wasn't expecting anything, so he sat the box on the table and cautiously opened it. When he pulled the item out, he couldn't believe what she'd gotten him. "A motorcycle helmet?"

"Yep. I believe you said something about climbing up behind me?" she asked, wrapping her arms around his waist. "I know you said you kept your old one, but I thought you might want to start out fresh."

Auggie nodded, almost overcome with emotion at her thoughtfulness. He truly thought his riding days were over, but here was this beautiful woman giving him his life back. He turned around in his arms and pulled her fully against him. "You truly are a wonderful woman, Annie Walker. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Annie said, lifting up on tiptoe to press a kiss against his lips. "I've got Betty all ready for the trip. Are you sure you're ready to get back on the horse?"

"You call your Harley Betty?" he asked, picking up his messenger bag and slinging it across his body.

"It's much too pretty to be called anything else," she countered. "Come on, Auggie, let's go ride off into the sunset."

"I'd think a talented writer such as yourself would think up a better analogy than that," he teased, sliding his hand around her arm as they left.

"Actually, I was thinking of getting into the private detective business," she countered. "You have to admit, that whole ordeal was quite the adventure."

"No, what we're doing right now is an adventure. One of many, I hope."

**THE END**

* * *

><p><strong>AN Aww, too sweet! This chapter is courtesy of an ice storm this weekend, which had me bedding down in a motel close to my work so I didn't have to drive through ice and snow for a couple of hours to get to work the next day. :) **

**Hackers! will be written out now. Thanks to everyone for all the support!**

**I'd love to know what you thought of the story, if you figured it was Henry at the beginning, and so forth. Thanks in advance!**


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